Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Chili

I have been meaning to try this recipe for months but kept getting distracted making other things.  I thought it was a sign I needed to finally cook this when sweet potatoes were practically the only vegetable at the Farmer's Market last week.

I am by no means a vegetarian but for some reason I tend to love veggie chili and hate almost every meat chili I have ever had, so finding another delicious vegetarian chili to add to my cooking rotation is something I am constantly on the lookout for.   This one is absolutely being made again.  There are so many semi-unusual foods in this chili that really give it a different and delicious flavor.  Some bites are spicy, some sweet, others sort of smoky. Yum.

Other than dicing up some vegetables and opening a bunch of cans, there is very little work that goes into making this dish, just a bit of patience since it has to simmer for about 30 minutes once everything is in the pot.  I add a little extra hot sauce since I like my food spicy. This is a simple and exciting new recipe that I highly recommend.

So much chili!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced small
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. smoked chili Tabasco sauce (or any other hot sauce if you don't have this on hand)
• salt, to taste
• 1 can (15.5 oz) tomato sauce
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cans (15.5 oz) black beans, drained
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (chicken or beef can be used if you want that flavor)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot (I recommend a large pot, I had to move all my stuff into a bigger one half way through) over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, carrots and salt; saute for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.
2. Add the tomato sauce.  Next add the black beans, broth, all spices, and quinoa.  Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium and add the sweet potatoes.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. 
3. Spoon in to bowls and enjoy!

Yummy.

Serves 4-6.

“Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need.”         Julia Child